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Battleship
Battleships are the most common warships in the game. Well-armed, heavily armored and protected on all sides, they can take as much punishment as they could deliver. They also have a good anti-air defense against many planes.A key to distinguishing a battleship from a battlecruiser is that a battleship can deliver as much firepower as it can receive, while battlecruisers cannot do so. In short, battleships trade speed for armor and battlecruisers trade armor for speed. Because of their versatility, battleships can deal with any enemy that crosses their sights, given a chance to shoot. Excellent designs can tank multiple hits from equivalent or heavier batteries. They are also noted for their resilience- many designs featured could take multiple 46cm Gun strikes and still function as a combat vessel. Armament These ships, given their broad definition, can be armed with anything in the game. Small battleships usually fit as main cannons the 20.3cm Gun or 30.5cm guns. Medium battleships may employ guns of the 36cm, 38cm and 40cm caliber while larger ones will employ either multi barreled versions of smaller guns (ie, 38vm quad) or the mighty 46cm. Miscellaneous smaller guns may be fitted as secondaries in any case. These weapons are smaller, lighter and weaker than the main batteries, added to create a mass of firepower essential to hit anything at a distance. Anti-aircraft weapons and anti-submarine weapons are often fitted to defend against aircraft and submarines, respectively. Small numbers of 5 inch Guns are carried in a dual AA/Anti-ship configuration. While torpedoes and mines may be carried, their size and lack of maneuverability makes them less useful on these ships. Battleships are considered targets for these weapons (torpedoes and mines) and don't serve well as delivery platforms. Roles and Usage Due to their versatility and size, they can be configured easily for any role necessary. These vessels are the big guns of the fleet, designed to get close to the enemy ship to deliver paralyzing broadsides. As the first warships any player receives, they are the breadwinners of any fleet. They are most cost-effective and time-effective warship in the fleet- submarines, while assuring victory, are relatively slow boats that have a narrow attack area, while carrier warplanes are expensive, easily lost and inaccurate. Due to their durability and size, they are decent antisubmarine warships. Carrier warplanes can also be retrofitted onto the deck akin to the World War II battleship IJN Ise. Variants While the classic battleship is the most versatile, there are some variants to the basic design. These ships are more specialized than the standard battleship, and sacrifice some aspects to focus on others. One common variant is the so called "Battleship-Killer," with an all forward armament. These ships are designed to destroy proper battleships of equivalent or superior firepower, since it does not need to turn broadside to focus the majority of its firepower. Because of the focused firepower, they are easier to flank and destroy. Thus, they require a greater level of maneuverability to be effective. Because of the rather predictable AI and the focus on frontal firepower, they are more potent than standard battleships in single-player. Another variant is a "Battlecarrier," which is a hybrid between a battleship and an aircraft carrier. One can make such hybrid by removing some of the aft superstructure of a ship and place two runways for aircraft to take off and land. Depending on which ship you are turning into a battlecarrier, sometimes it is wise to put the runway horizontal to the ship's deck, move or delete the aft turret and place your aircraft. Tactics Battleships and their variant(s) can be deployed alongside other ships such as aircraft carriers or cruisers to make a potent fleet. They also make decent carrier escort ships.